PRODUCT REVIEW: Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Relief Cream

As stated in an earlier post, ("How to Be Rosy With Rosacea"), I have Rosacea. Rosacea is an inflammatory condition of the facial skin which causes your skin to flush abnormally, turn red and develop bumps and pastules. If left untreated Rosacea can be very disfiguring. This is a good example of what Rosacea can turn into:



In addition to it's unattractive appearance, Rosacea is also very uncomfortable. Typical symptoms are burning, itching and throbbing. I do take medication for Rosacea (either Tetracycline or Oracea), and also am always scouting around for new products to try. I absolutely love the Dr. Brandt Laser line (Laser Relief and Laser Tight), but thought I'd give this new line by Clinique a shot.

The cream is not bad, but I do not seem to benefit from it with regards to my Rosacea. My face seems to look slightly paler after using it but I suspect it's from the green tint that this moisturizer has versus real, actual efficacy. All in all, the cream does moisturize my face nicely and I may continue using it as a basic moisturizer in addition to my Dr. Brandt Laser products simply for the price point in comparison with other professional moisturizers.

FABULOUS lunch discovery @ Crepe Republic

I love food and am always scouting around for new places where I can go have a tasty, quick and affordable lunch. The best value for this criteria is obviously your typical fast food joint like McDonalds or Taco Bell but it's common knowledge that these places are not healthy to say the least. Today I stumbled upon "Crepe Republic," and had a fabulous, healthy and tasty lunch for less then $10 and was in and out of there in a half hour (no it was not take out - I ate it there). The ambiance was nice too as it reflected the food they were serving: clean and in good taste. This little venue is located here in Los Angeles on the corner of La Cienega Blvd and 3rd Street. It sits in a strip mall across the street from Coffee Bean and next door to Subway and another great Italian food place called North End Pizzeria. Crepe Republic offers crepes for breakfast, lunch and dessert. Today I had the "Snow White," which contains chicken breast, avocado, basil, tomatoes, spinach, mozarella and pesto. All the ingredients tasted extremely fresh and it was served with a lovely green salad that contained nice fresh veggies. Crepe Republic also serves juice and smoothies...I almost felt like I was at Equinox. :)

Buying Beauty Products on eBay

Due to limited finances, I have decided to dive into completely unfamiliar and risky territory: buying beauty products on eBay. Up until now, I have avoided eBay like the plague because quite frankly I just don't trust people. To make matters worse, buying a beauty product such as skin care (which I just purchased!) is especially risky because there is no guaranty that the product was not used and/or contaminated, or worse - replaced with mayonnaise. However, due to the fact that I am very familiar with this product and the container it comes in - I feel that it is a risk worth taking. First, I chose a seller who was top rated with 5 stars and read some of the reviews (all positive). Second, the product I chose (Dr. Brandt Laser Tight lotion), comes in an airtight pump so that whatever is inside the bottle cannot become contaminated. Third, I love this product and believe it is well worth the full cost of $110.00, so I feel pretty ecstatic about the fact that I spent only $60.00 on it - and that I will also be getting some other goodies (another bonus size bottle and Lineless eye cream). Should things go wrong - hopefully the eBay Buyer Protection Plan will reimburse me, even though I did not read it and have no idea if it would or should. More to come when I get my purchase. :)

The Best Eye Shadows - Deep, Dimensional, Multi-Functional and Longlasting!

My first job as a make up artist (10 years ago!) was with a little boutique line called Stila Cosmetics, which was then privately owned by it's creator, celebrity make up artist Jeanine Lobell. I was hired at Saks Fifth Avenue in beautiful Santa Barbara, California. Apparently none of the other girls were that interested in working for Stila because it appealed to a younger clientele which meant long days doing makeovers for the prom and small sales numbers. Nevertheless, I had a lot of fun learning the trade, especially with such a great artistry line. Stila has since been bought by the giant of all cosmetic companies - Estee Lauder - and yet is typically no longer found in the big department stores (Stila can be found at Sephora, Ulta, and in various places online). Hands down, Stila's eyeshadows ROCK. Highly pigmented, easy to use and fabulous to look at - Stila's eyeshadows are multi-dimensional and multi-functional, and never will you discover the shadow falling over your face that WILL happen with other quality lines such as Bobbi Brown (unfortunately). A couple of my favorite colors are Diamond Lil (a beautiful smokey grey with gold undertones), and Kitten (a sweet and sexy champagne pink). Both of these colors look great used wet all over the eyelid - with or without eyeliner.


Diamond Lil




Kitten

Other great colors are Bouquet (a matte nude which can be used as a base color), Oasis (a shimmery gold which can be used wet all over the lid or as a highlight), Pewter (a deep shimmery midnight blue - great as a liner!), Golightly (a pretty golden brown), and La Douce (a deep shimmery olive). Stila has many colors to choose from and I also highly recommend buying a multi-pan compact to hold the shadows neatly in place. This nice 6-pan also comes with a double ended brush - one side for your shadow and one side for your liner. You can also add a blush and/or brow color to your pan.


Stila 6-Pan Compact - Cute and Convenient!

Cosmetics: Where to Find the Best Products at the Best Prices

Hint: Dump the Drug Store

1. Try it before you buy it.

All make up artists will agree that cosmetics work differently for different people. What may look absolutely ravishing on one person may look hideous on another. This is because everyone has unique skin textures and tones, eye color, hair color, etc. Therefore, it is always best to buy cosmetic products from a department store where you are able to "try on" the product before paying for it - as most cosmetics are non-refundable.

2. You really do get what you pay for, and sometimes less.

Some people hesitate to pay the higher cost for cosmetics at a department store versus the local drug store. This is a mistake. With the exception of a few items, most cosmetics found in drug stores are so cheaply made that they will hardly last and the quality will not give you the results you seek. For example, you may find it tempting to buy an $8 mascara at the local drug store versus a $21 mascara at Bloomies. Not only will your $8 mascara clump and flake - leaving black smudges under your eyes and on your face - but it will be more difficult to remove thus ultimately thinning your natural lashes. To add insult to injury, the cheap mascara will dry up quicker and you'd have to replace it much sooner then the other mascara. So ultimately you are not even saving money.

3. Be savvy, not cheap.

The great thing about shopping at the department stores for your cosmetics is that you are able to try stuff out. I always recommend doing the gift-with-purchase deals to try out new skin care products, getting make overs when purchasing (to also learn about new products and looks), and participating in any events they may have. In addition to learning how to look your best, it is a fun way to kill a Saturday afternoon and meet new people. Of course, it is easy to spend way too much money so be smart and prioritize your needs and desires. But always remember, when it comes to your looks - be savvy, not cheap!

4. Diversify.

Another factor to consider when purchasing cosmetics is variety. While most brands offer a huge assortment of skin care, cosmetics, brushes and other beauty products - they clearly specialize in only one or two areas. For example, one brand may have fabulous trendy and high quality eye shadows and lip glosses, but terrible skin care or vice versa. Be hip to some sales people who will try to convince you that something you don't feel great about is fabulous. If you don't really like it, don't buy it. Try to find a regular sales person/make up artist in the store who is honest and whom you can build a relationship with.

Reunited with Equinox.

Last year I became a member of the West Hollywood Equinox fitness club. I always liked it, but due to my busy schedule and the mom factor I just did not go enough for me to justify paying almost $150 per month for the membership. So after I moved to a bigger apartment and endured a $500 per month rent increase - I decided to give up the Equinox membership. I told myself that I could settle with 24 Hour Fitness or LA Fitness and get my quick work outs there during my lunch hour or something. However, after my Equinox experience I had an extremely difficult time dealing with the lower level gyms. 24 Hour Fitness seemed dirty and depressing and had the opposite affect on my desire to work out. I cringed at the thought of going there. I didn't even make it inside LA Fitness due to the heavy pressure I received from the sales people on the phone. (They would call me at all hours during the night to try and pressure me into buying a membership.) Further, after spending some time on one of my favorite websites ("Yelp. com"), and saw how many people hated 24 Hour Fitness and how many people got screwed financially from LA Fitness, the thought of rejoining Equinox entered my mind. Then, behold, I got a beloved email from the Equinox manager offering a great deal to rejoin without having to pay the hefty initiation fee plus one month free. I couldn't resist.

I justify paying the high monthly price like this: I am a single mom and therefore have given up the social life I used to enjoy. $145 can easily be spent in one night out in LA on drinks and dinner - so instead I am spending that for one month of health management, and it's important to keep healthy as I have a responsibility as a mom to be healthy and happy not only for myself but for my daughter. So, I told myself that this time around, I need to be fully involved and do more than just jog on the treadmill and people watch. Equinox also offers great classes at no extra cost, so I am indulging on all it has to offer.

First, I decided to take "Yoga Basics," because I have heard all about the therapeutic benefits in addition to the physical benefits that derive from Yoga. The class was being held in the spa area, which is nice. As I entered the dark room, the heat hit me like a ton of bricks. Not sure, but I suspect they purposefully keep it hot so you it forces you to sweat and breathe heavy. That part I did not like. I am in pretty decent shape despite my laziness lately and also my late night ice cream indulgences, however I am NOT limber by any means. As we switched poses, my limbs would shake and overall I was pretty uncomfortable. At the end of the class though, I felt fully stretched and ready for a good run on the treadmill and some weight training and last but not least - I felt better than I did after therapy!

Today I am going to try "Studio Cycling." Let's see if I can keep up the pace.